Request_for_Information_4196.pdf

Request for Information

City of Minneapolis

Information Technology, Fire and Finance & Property Services

Minneapolis Fire Department (MFD) Fire Station Alerting System

Event #0000004196

Due by: 2:00 PM CT, July 24, 2026

City of Minneapolis Request for Information RFI

Event # 0000004196 MFD Fire Station Alerting System

Buyer Name: Aksana Belik Buyer Email: aksana.belik@minneapolismn.gov

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ISSUED BY CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS PROCUREMENT,

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, FIRE AND FINANCE & PROPERTY SERVICES DEPARTMENTS.

THIS IS NOT AN ORDER FOR SERVICE.

Responses must be received by 2:00 PM CT on July 24, 2026

SCHEDULE:

The following is a listing of key Request for Information dates:

RFI Release June 8, 2026 Questions due 2:00 PM on June 22, 2026 Answers to Questions posted 2:00 PM on June 30, 2026 Responses due by 2:00 PM on July 24, 2026 mailto:aksana.belik@minneapolismn.gov

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

FOR

MFD Fire Station Alerting System

I. INVITATION: The City of Minneapolis (“City”) invites interested parties to respond to this Request for Information (“RFI”) regarding the planning, procurement, and installation of new Fire Station alerting systems in all 19 fire stations located throughout the City of Minneapolis.

This RFI is strictly an inquiry. No contract or agreement will be entered into as a result of this process. However, the information contained in the RFI responses will help the City advance its knowledge and awareness of Fire Station Alerting Systems available which will result in the release of a Request For Proposal (RFP) in the future.

II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The Fire Station alerting system currently utilized by the Minneapolis Fire Department (MFD) has been in service for over two (2) decades, is outdated and considered functionally obsolete. The City has 19 Fire Stations with varying infrastructure, station layouts and electrical/cabling plans.

The new alerting systems will automate dispatch notifications, reduce response times, enhance situational awareness and improve Firefighter health and wellness.

III. SCOPE OF SERVICES or RFI OBJECTIVE The City looks to gain an understanding of the full capabilities of cloud-based Fire Station Alerting Systems; including targeted alerting features, soft alarm functionality, any required on-premise hardware, and how the system would fit within our operational environment. In addition, describe how the solution integrates with existing dispatch systems, radio networks, and station infrastructure, as well as how you address emerging firefighter health and wellness standards (i.e. targeted alerting, noise-reduction strategies, and cloud-to-station connectivity).

• Solicit feedback from potential vendors with experience developing and deploying similar solutions.

• Understand the relative number of vendors in the market capable of providing a solution comparable to the solution’s functionality defined in this RFI.

• Obtain information to develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solicit a vendor capable of providing the solution defined in the RFI.

IV. INFORMATION SUBMITTAL

All submissions to this RFI must be submitted electronically through the eSupplier Portal. If you are already a City Supplier you should have received an email containing your eSupplier User ID and Password. If you do not remember your password, click on the “Forgot Password” tile to enter your User ID and a new password will be emailed to you. If you are not already a city supplier, click on the eSupplier link below and then click on the “Bidder/Payee Registration” tile to register. If you need further assistance with eSupplier, please send an email to eprocurement@minneapolismn.gov.

eSupplier Portal – Electronic Proposal Submission https://comet-fs.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/psc/supplier mailto:eprocurement@minneapolismn.gov https://comet-fs.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/psc/supplier

V. RFI FORMAT and CONTENT: All Respondents are asked to submit their information in the format outlined in Attachment A. It is worth reiterating that this RFI is not part of a formal procurement;

therefore, responses will be carefully reviewed but not evaluated or scored.

VI. DEPARTMENT CONTACT/REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION: The Consultant’s primary interface with the City will be with the Project Manager who will act as the City’s designated representative for the Project. Prospective responders shall direct inquiries/questions only in writing to:

Contract Manager: Stacy Jensen, IT Project Manager Email: stacy.jensen@minneapolismn.gov

Responses to the questions will be posted as an addendum to the current event in the eSupplier Portal – Contracting Opportunities.

The Project Manager will not be responding to questions from proposers on an individual basis.

The Contract Manager cannot change the terms of the RFI.

VII. ADDENDUM TO THE RFI: The City reserves the right to cancel or amend the RFI at any time. If any addendum is issued for the RFI, it will be posted as an attachment to the current event.

VIII. INFORMATION PREPARATION COSTS: The City shall not be liable or responsible for any costs incurred by the Respondent in the preparation, submission, presentation, or revision of its information, or in any other aspect of the Respondent’s pre-information submission activity. No Respondent is entitled to any compensation except under an agreement for performance of services signed by a City authorized official and the Respondent.

mailto:stacy.jensen@minneapolismn.gov

ATTACHMENT A

The City expects each Respondent to include in their response to this RFI the following items in the order listed:

Scope of Services – Describe overall how your proposed solution would meet the RFI objective.

Respondents should also provide information regarding how their solution and capabilities would meet the capabilities listed below.

Company Overview -Include company name, physical address, phone number, web address, a brief description of the company, its services, business size (total revenue and number of employees), and point(s) of contact, including name, address, phone and email address. Note the company’s operations including the number of years the company has been supporting this solution. If applicable, please describe any subcontractors or partners with which you have worked. Resumes need not be included.

Experience: Describe your company/organization’s relevant experience (and that of partners, when applicable) with Fire Station Alerting systems. Identify your experience with clients of similar size and scope to the City of Minneapolis.

Capabilities: For the capabilities below, please respond to each on how your solution can meet these requirements:

1. CAD Integration

1.1 Provide real time dispatch notification (voice audio and message boards). Must include Date & Time, Fire Station(s), Rig(s), Incident Type, Address of incident (configurable as needed).

Response:

1.2 Process CAD notification in real time without delay, simultaneously.

1.3 Trigger the lights and speakers in the appropriate fire stations(s) and provide rig(s) notification based on the content of the CAD notification. Describe how your system would handle when rig(s) are available for a call but not at the station.

1.4 Configure zones within a fire station & assign one or more rigs to each zone.

1.5 Trigger lights to the appropriate zone in the fire station based on CAD notification specifying fire station and rig (note CAD will not reference zone).

Response:

1.6 CAD will be the source of truth for Fire Station and Rig assignment. When CAD sends a command, how will the Fire Station acknowledge the command?

2. All Broadcast - Chatter

2.1 Can the system route dispatch radio chatter audio to existing speakers which are installed in areas throughout the stations? Fire Fighters want to hear ALL BROADCASTS from Dispatch for ALL Stations and Fire Rigs.

2.2 Describe how dispatch audio would be routed to the existing ‘chatter’ speakers

2.3 If available, please provide diagrams to illustrate the questions above.

3. Dispatch Audio

3.1 Support dispatch audio to appropriate station

Response:

3.2 Describe how the new system will support dispatch audio to appropriate station Response:

3.3 If available, please provide diagrams to illustrate the questions above.

4. Compliance

4.1 Does the system meet the NFPA 1710 response time standards?

4.2 Is the system compliant with the NFPA standards 1221?

5. Infrastructure/Architecture Model:

5.1 Identify the infrastructure/architecture model(s) you provide and support, and whether they are on premises, hosted off-premises, or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models.

6. Support and Maintenance Model:

6.1 Provide the anticipated ongoing software maintenance and support services required to sustain the solution including frequency of upgrades and patches/bug releases and the estimated timeframes to complete. Outline the services in your support model including available service level agreements.

6.2 Redundancy: How does the system ensure functionality during a power outage or network failure? Is radio an optional component for backup?

7. Training Model:

7.1 Outline the services in your training model for administrative and end user training including the training services, methodology, and typical schedule. Include the pricing model for training services and the methodology and schedule.

8. Reporting and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

8.1 Provide the standard and custom reporting included in your solution and the available KPIs.

Include information on data input and export capabilities, security and auditing, and dashboards and metrics.

9. Pricing/Licensing Model:

9.1 Include a general pricing model and costs for the software based upon the information provided in this RFI. This pricing should also indicate the licensing model, (i.e. licensing by individual users, by core, by seat etc.), descriptions of the hosting models available, and estimates of associated costs. Include cost estimates for ongoing support and maintenance for three years, and when those support and maintenance costs begin (i.e. at time of purchase, after implementation, etc.). If applicable, include a list of additional items or services/software needed to operate the system that are not included and must be provided/purchased by the City. Respondents will not be bound by any cost estimates included in responses to this RFI.

10. Fire Station Design Strategy:

10.1 An engineering design consultant is preparing alerting system device & zone location drawings and specifications for all 19 Minneapolis Fire Stations as a “Delegated Design” Project Delivery. Describe your typical approach to this Delegated Design process.

11. Installation Timeline:

11.1 The Minneapolis Fire Department has identified 4-Tiers within the 19 fire stations (4-5 stations in each Tier) ordered by priority of installing the new system. The installation timeline is anticipated between Q4 2026 – 2028. Describe previous experience installing your system in a similar sized Fire Department with a tiered-installation timeline.

12. Commissioning:

12.1 Describe previous experience in commissioning your system in a similar sized Fire Department and your recommendations for implementing your commissioning strategy within the 4-Tier priority of stations. Include recommendations for cutover from the old system to new system over a potential Q4 2026 – 2028 installation timeline.

ATTACHMENT B

Q&A SUBMITTAL FORM

# Question City Response